# YAAAY!!! We're singing with Bernadette Peters!!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2007, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318 "2007-11-14T02:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/21 "2008-03-28T03:02:01Z")
I just got home from our 5-hour dress rehearsal. Bernadette Peters is everything you think she’d be . . . totally professional, totally sweet, with absolutely no “diva attitude” whatsoever, though she’s certainly earned the right to it. And she’s the most stunningly beautiful 60-year-old on the planet. But we were surprised to discover that she’s not the only celebrity in the show. The percussionist is Cubby O’Brien, from the original 1950s Mouseketeers! Anyway, by this time tomorrow, it’ll be over. I’ll post more then, if I’m not too exhausted. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/22 "2008-03-28T03:06:03Z")
**panache45,** I’ve been thinking about you ever since they announced this event! Rock on, NCMC! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/23 "2008-03-28T03:17:39Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] I told my fellow choristers that she’s the only woman in the world who could make me go straight. I’m seriously worried that I’ll get all choked up and not be able to sing. [/QUOTE] If the only chance to sing with Bernadette Peters was joining the Gay Men’s Chorus, I’d consider going gay for that, so we’re even. 😃 Seriously – no idea how I missed this thread last fall, but I am envious. I’d actually consider a road trip to Ohio, but I’m on vacation in the DR just now. when come back, bring details! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/24 "2008-03-28T03:33:27Z")
I don’t know how I missed this thread! **panache** , that is completely awesome & amazing! You have to come back with _all_ the details! My only connection to Bernadette is that I sat next to her once at a show, but to actually perform with her… wow! Congrats!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/25 "2008-03-28T15:24:20Z")
I saw her on Broadway (“ANNIE GET YOUR GUN”). Marvelous. Have a wonderful time! Is she really 60? Holy Smoke! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/26 "2008-03-29T17:43:30Z")
Wow. Just wow. I have actually shared the stage with Bernadette Peters. I’ve heard it said that Marilyn Monroe could walk down the street in “Norma Jeane Baker” mode, and nobody would notice her. But as if flicking a switch, she went into “Marilyn Monroe” mode, and drew a crowd. That’s the kind of transformation I witnessed yesterday. Our final rehearsal in the afternoon included a petite lady, a little shorter than her “official” height of 5’3”, dressed in jeans, a hoodie, sandals and hair in curlers, with minimal makeup. She was very sweet and professional, and her singing voice was warm and clear, but it was obvious that she was holding back, saving her voice. Fast forward to last night, when a spotlight hit that petite lady, and Bernadette Peters was born. Dressed in a gorgeous sequined gown that looked almost transparent from a distant, but was actually silver and gold from two feet away (yes, I was that close!!!), a gown that accentuated all her curves and made her look actually statuesque, with a slit up the front, with her trademark mane of hair that seemed at times to be her co-star. She just totally owned the 2300-person(!!!) audience, from the first time she opened her mouth, and it was so obvious that she enjoyed the experience every bit as much as the audience . . . doing a lot of adlibbing between the songs . . . even introducing former-Mousketeer Cubby O’Brian, who put his wrists on his temples, and flashed mouse ears at the audience. But oh, the songs! Obviously several Sondheim songs, including the one we did with her. (Our original contract was for a half-hour set of our own, followed by an intermission, then her 70-minute set. Many of us refused to do it unless we could do at least one song \*WITH \*her. The obstacle wasn’t her, but her “people.” Once we communicated with her directly, she immediately agreed, and suggested Sondheim’s “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.”) Obviously she worked magic with the Sondheim numbers, but there were three others that stood out as simply unforgettable experiences. The first was “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” which she totally transformed from its usual outdated sexism to an unbelievably sexy statement of female identity with not a trace of sexist condescention. She ran the gamut of expression from a belting Ethel Merman to a sultry Eartha Kitt, and everything inbetween, while making it unmistakably Bernadette Peters. Then she did “Fever,” after telling us that this will be the first time she has ever performed it. On the piano. You know, \*ON \* the piano . . . doing all the provocative moves you’d expect from a woman a fraction of her age, and totally blowing away all the historic competition, including Miss Peggy Lee. Once again, she made that song her own. About halfway through her set, she told us that a particular song had entered her head one day and wouldn’t leave, begging to be sung. The song was “Shenandoah,” and there were no theatrics, no emotional roller coaster . . . the woman simply stood there and sang. It was breathtaking in its simple purity. The experience of actually singing with her onstage . . . I remember it, not as a continuous experience, but as a series of discrete feelings and images. I remember the stage manager reminding us that we had to smile and sparkle and dazzle during the song, as if we needed to be told to do something that we couldn’t \*NOT \*do. I remember noticing silly things, like the pattern of sequins on her gown . . . her boobs . . . how her hair was so much fuller and longer than it had been in rehearsal . . . and wondering if I wasn’t smiling a little too broadly (it’s a rather angry song, after all) . . . and trying, in spite of everything, to remember all the lyrics . . . and especially, the most important thing: just singing my own part, and not hers. And then it was over. We left the stage and joined the audience for the rest of the show. And now I’m sitting here, and it seems so long ago already. And of course the usual post-concert depression. We’ve been working toward this experience for literally \*YEARS, \*and it’s coming, and it’s coming, and it’s coming, and in a seemingly singular moment . . . it’s over. But not gone. Now here is something absolutely astounding: Many of us spoke with audience members after the show. Most of these people had come to see Bernadette Peters, and had never heard of, or at least seen, the North Coast Men’s Chorus. So it was mind-boggling to hear how many of them enjoyed our set more than hers! And they couldn’t believe that we are a group of amateur singers and dancers. One woman told me that Bernadette should have been \*OUR \*opening act!!! My brain struggles to make sense out of this, and just gives up trying. So. In case you’re wondering, here’s the program (and all the dancers are members of the chorus; we have our own professional choreographer, and it’s amazing what she can do with untrained dancers): NORTH COAST MEN’S CHORUS set: “Bye Bye Blackbird,” choreographed in the style of Fosse, dancers dressed in black, with bowler hats and white gloves “The Spark of Creation,” from _Children of Eden_ “Into the Fire,” from _The Scarlet Pimpernel_ “In Whatever Time We Have,” from _Children of Eden_ “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup,” from \*And the World Boes Round, \*with totally frenetic choreography by the entire chorus “Stand Up for Love” “Heart and Music,” from _A New Brain_ “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” from \*Sweet Charity, \*with tap dancers, only a few of whom had ever tapped before INTERMISSION BERNADETTE PETERS set: “Let Me Entertain You” “No One Is Alone” “There is Nothing Like a Dame” “Fever” “Unexpected Song” “Mr. Snow” from _Carousel_ “Some Enchanted Evening” “Shenandoah” Disney Medley: “When You Wish Upon a Star” / “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heat Makes” “Johanna,” from _Sweeney Todd_ “Not a Day Goes By” “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” with the Chorus “With So Little to Be Sure of” / “Children Will Listen” “Being Alive” Encore: “Kramer’s Song,” which Bernadette wrote, as a lullaby to her dog. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/27 "2008-03-30T01:00:14Z")
I feel like I’ve seen the concert! Well done! And congrats on your own success! I think the idea is just great and apparently, so does the audience. About twenty-five years ago I saw Peters sing “But Not For Me” on a television show. She had tears running down her cheeks. Maybe they were just the tears of an actress, but I saw her do that only once. Just took my breath away. There is a very early television appearance that will knock your socks off. In the early 1950’s there was a show on television called Juvenile Jury. I believe the host was Jack Barry. Bernadette Peters made an appearance at about age four and a clip of it is out there somewhere. _Adorable!_ Thanks for the vicarious fun of your experience! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/28 "2008-04-01T05:29:58Z")
Most of us are still coming down from Friday night’s high, and still receiving comments that the Chorus was the high point of the concert. It’s been interesting to hear feedback from the younger guys who had never heard of Bernadette Peters . . . most of it very positive. And it looks like we’ve gotten several new member of the chorus, from the audience. Our June concert will be “Tunes from Tales,” featuring author Armistead Maupin, author of the “Tales of the City” novels. He will narrate from his work, and we’ll keep interrupting him with songs (and dance). ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/29 "2008-04-01T11:29:48Z")
I can’t believe I missed the show. A member of my church choir is in the group, and told us about the show, but wasn’t at rehearsal the week before to remind us. Then on the 27th I stopped at one of our other stores, and there was a stack of postcards on the counter announcing the show…one of the staff at that location is a member of the Men’s Chorus, too…and by then it was too late…I couldn’t go. I’m so bummed. Now you definitely need to make it to the next CleveDopeFest, **panache45** so I can hear all the details! And find out if you are one of the above two people I know! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/30 "2008-04-02T00:44:54Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue] I can’t believe I missed the show. A member of my church choir is in the group, and told us about the show, but wasn’t at rehearsal the week before to remind us. Then on the 27th I stopped at one of our other stores, and there was a stack of postcards on the counter announcing the show…one of the staff at that location is a member of the Men’s Chorus, too…and by then it was too late…I couldn’t go. I’m so bummed. Now you definitely need to make it to the next CleveDopeFest, **panache45** so I can hear all the details! And find out if you are one of the above two people I know! [/QUOTE] No, I’m not one of those two people. But don’t miss our next concert, June 21-22, with Armistead Maupin (sorry, no repeat of Bernadette Peters). ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/31 "2008-04-02T00:51:38Z")
Okay, I can check you off as “not Greg or Bill” then. But give a girl a hint…was your face on the postcard/flyer? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318/32 "2008-04-03T16:16:16Z")
Hey, congrats - glad it went so well! Now why did Steve Martin let her get away…? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yaaay-were-singing-with-bernadette-peters/426318.md?page=1)